Friday, March 21, 2008

Lots of thanks to KS, CO, OK, TX, and NE Growers!

Before I forget, I really want to take a moment to say thank you to the five state wheat commissions who so generously have sponsored my portion of this wheat tour.

I know how hard you all work for your checkoff dollars and how you watch closely how you spend them for your producers. I just hope that this blog and the following stories in High Plains Journal, when we return, will be a great return on your investments in sending me to Latin America.

For my non-farm readers, and those of you unfamiliar with state checkoffs, here's a simple explanation. Each bushel of wheat a farmer markets is assessed a few pennies. All those pennies add up after harvest and get put into a fund. A state wheat commission uses that money to fund research, promotion and market development of the crop. A wheat commission is a group of elected grower representatives who are approved by a governor, and who make the best decisions for the greater good of their growers. Of course, each state has different ways of conducting their checkoffs and such. You can find more information on checkoffs through your state's department of agriculture.

If you're toodling around on the Internet, why don't you go check out their websites and find out the latest news from Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska?

Columbia

Hablas espanol?

In mid-February I received an incredibly generous invitation to be one of a handful of American agricultural media invited on a two-week tour of four Latin American countries' wheat facilities March 24 to April 4.

We'll be spending a whirlwind time in Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Mexico, speaking to the folks importing and using the wheat we grow. It's going to be an amazing learning experience.